Tuesday, January 31, 2012

It has been many years since I stepped foot on the island of
St. Martin (the common spelling I will be using to keep things simple). I spent
the day here while on a cruise around the Caribbean. I vividly remember it being
my favorite island on the trip.

From the colorful cobblestone streets on the Dutch side (St. Maarten) to the unique European-style
buildings on the French half (Saint Martin), I had been impressed with the
beauty of the towns and the beaches. I
remember strolling the streets and doing some jewelry shopping, as well as
relaxing on the soft sand with a cool drink.

A lot can change in twenty plus years and I was prepared for
that when I decided to take this trip with the tourism board on the Dutch side.
I actually hadn’t done any Caribbean
trips since Punta
Cana in 2010 and it seemed like the perfect island with lots of restaurants
and home grown spirits.

It had been a long day of three flights and I was ready to
get to the hotel, where Trish, our escort from KTC Public Relations, and my
fellow journalists had already started dinner. As my driver took me in the van up the winding
road to the Westin Dawn Beach St. Maarten,
I noticed the change in the island since my last visit. Despite the downfall in
the economy, it had submerged full of cars

It seemed as if everyone on the island and visiting the
island now had a vehicle and the roads almost looked city like. On the other
hand, there were positive signs from this transformation. New restaurants,
shopping areas and hotels were everywhere, giving the island more variety for
its visitors. While there was a small part of me that wanted to see the old St. Martin, I knew this one would be a lot more interesting.

The only hotel I was interested in at the end of this long
day was the one I was staying in. The
the Westin is basically on top of a hill, yet it boasts a spectacular
beach. When we arrived I was anxious to
go straight to the Ocean restaurant.

Everyone had already finished eating by the time I arrived.
It was quite late and I understood that they were anxious to retire. Tricia
stayed with me while I ordered a light meal of a goat cheese and tomato salad.
I also had my first taste of guavaberry in a Guavaberry Colada. It was the spirit of the island and I was sure
I would be tasting a lot more of it.

I was able to see that the Westin hotel (complete with a
casino in the lobby) was very large and I was more than satisfied with my room --
and the view. It was the bed, however, I
was really anxious to hit. I was ready to recover from the day of travel and
get ready for my first chance to explore St. Martin in nearly three decades.